


What People Do

by MagicMysticFantasy



Category: American Gods - Neil Gaiman, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, American Gods AU, American Gods Inspired, Gen, Inspired by ON (BTS), Inspired by an MV
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27652355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicMysticFantasy/pseuds/MagicMysticFantasy
Summary: There is a new god in the lands of Eon. Announced by battle and blood, and the kidnapping of one of the Seven's own, there is only so much time they have before he arrives."People believe, thought Shadow. It’s what people do. They believe." - American Gods, Neil Gaiman
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> For once, I am prepared when starting a new multi-chapter story, haha! This one will have regular updates of three chapters a week, since I waited until it was done before starting to post it, even though it's been in the works since February 2020 when the ON MV first came out (as soon as I watched it, this story was all I could think of, haha!). I'll try to post chapters on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays as consistently as possible moving forward! The approach to the story is inspired by Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods', but you don't need to have read it to understand this, and I based the plotline on the MV itself.
> 
> Anyway, I'm excited to finally start sharing this story with you, and I hope you enjoy! :)

_ Mama? Tell me a story. _

_ Alright, but only if you promise to actually listen for once. _

_ I promise! _

_ Okay then. Once upon a time, there was a world where people could fly through the sky on the wings of metal birds, and where the whispers of a person on one side of the world could be heard by another through a small magic box. The buildings were far taller than trees, and they would ride metal horses upon smooth black lines they painted on the ground as their roads - going far faster than any animal could run. This world was beautiful and unbelievable in its own way, but it was never meant to last, and those people were living on borrowed time. _

_ What happened to them? _

_ All their beautiful metal creatures were poison to the world around them, and among all these wonders the hearts of the people were still greedy for more. As the world became harder and harder to live in, the people turned on each other, fighting tooth and nail for what was left, hoping that they would be the ones to stand at the top of everything. In the end, those cities were destroyed, and none of the metal creatures or tools would work anymore, because the things they ran on were all used up. And all the people were nearly left behind in that world that was no more. _

_ What did they do? _

_ The few who remained banded together, forming their own small societies in an effort to survive better together than apart. They gained their strength again until there was no longer the threat of dying off. However, nearly everything that the Before people knew, all that they had discovered, had been lost, and the new peoples had to start all over in relearning what they could. Thousands of years of history and discoveries were lost in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only those who just did their best to survive. _

_ I don’t understand. If they already knew how to survive, what did they have to relearn? _

_ So much was lost that we’ll never remember even a fraction of it, my love. But we’ll be alright here in the land of Eon, anyway, thanks to the Six Brothers. _

_ The Six Brothers? Who are they? _

_ Ah, your mother has been neglectful, love, in not telling you of them sooner, I’m sorry. They are the ones responsible for much of the wonderful things we know of and have here. They are masters of crafts, of animals, of the sky, the rain, the flames. They watch over us when we die, and entertain us while we are alive. Nobody knows if they came from Before - either as people or something a bit more than that - or if they came into being when we called them to. But no matter where they came from, they chose to help us anyway. They are the reason our land is called Eon, as nobody remembers what it was called Before. _

_ How did they know to call it that? _

_ Because most people agree that they were told themselves. Do you remember when I told you about the Sacred Seven? The Six Brothers belong to the Seven. The seventh … well, some people say that this land is called Eon because that’s how long the Seven have watched over it. But most people think differently. See, we made the Six Brothers into what they are. Whether they started out as people first or we called them into being, they exist because we believed they did. The seventh, well, he came into being all on his own, regardless of us. He belongs to the land itself - and some say he  _ is _ the land itself. Those people believe that Eon is more than a reminder of time passed - that it is a part of his now-forgotten name. _


	2. Chapter 1

_ The eldest Brother goes by many names - the Chronicler, the Craftmaster, the Scholar. He holds our new knowledge and is the creator of our new things. He is always looking for something new to learn, and his hands are always busy. My love, pray to him if you ever find yourself lacking the information to proceed with an action or decision, or whenever you are struggling to make or fix something. He will help you with all this and more, should he find your need to be true, as he knows much. It has even been said that he’s learned so much that he can bring people back from the very brink of death. _

* * *

Jin wandered through the battlefield in a daze, unable to believe what he was seeing. The dead lay scattered around him, bodies and the ground around them steaming from long-extinguished flames and the early morning heat burning away the dew.

All he could do was stand and stare. How could this have happened? He hadn’t left the lands of Eon for long - certainly not long enough for conflicts to have arisen between the Septs to this degree. Or, so he had thought. The proof otherwise lay all around him.

More importantly, though, how could Jungkook have let this happen to his Sept? Jin would know these flags like the back of his own hand; Jungkook’s Sept was one he loved to travel with on his journeys, and he had spent decades among these people throughout the years, drinking in their belief and prayers like the Ancient Gods did their ambrosia. Jungkook welcomed him easily each time, unbothered with sharing the worship, unlike other deities Jin had met in the past. Belief was power after all, and without it, all gods would wither and fade.

Jungkook was different though, always had been. His abilities never seemed to waver, no matter how many people came and went from his Sept. Still, he cared deeply for his people, despite his lack of need for them and their faith, and Jin knew there was no way he would simply allow this kind of tragedy to befall them.

He allowed his gaze to wander, looking for clues. It wasn’t until his eyes caught on a solitary arrow with a bright flash of white that he saw anything worth investigating. Curious, he wandered towards it, avoiding the carnage around him as he made his way to it. Jin had trouble figuring out exactly what he was seeing, up until he was only feet away from it. Then his stomach turned to lead.

Pinned to the ground by an arrow was one of Jungkook’s sacred doves. Often they were untouchable, as they contained a part of the god’s essence within them. However, for the Sept to be decimated like this, Jungkook nowhere in sight, and one of his doves motionless and pinned? What could have done this?

He stepped forward that last little bit and knelt down beside the bird, hands shaking as he gently caressed its still wings. Jin looked up, searching the sky for the rest of its flock, but they were nowhere to be seen. Even Jungkook’s essence had faded from the bird, leaving it almost an ordinary animal but for the permanence of a deity’s touch.

A shaky sigh left his lips as he reached out again, this time easing the arrow from the bird and cupping it lightly in his hands. Bringing it closer, he cradled its still form against his torso, standing as he looked out over the landscape. Spying a survivor stumbling his way out of the wreckage, Jin made his way over.

“Excuse me,” he called out, causing the man to jolt a little, eyes going wide at the sight of him. A moment later, the man squinted a little closer at him, before his frame drooped with relief as he seemingly recognized Jin for who he was. Shuffling painfully for a moment, the man eased his way into a shallow bow.

“Lord Seokjin,” he murmured. “Thank the Keeper, it’s you.”

“What happened here?” Jin asked, reaching his free hand to ease the man up and out of the seemingly painful bow. “Who could have done this, and where was Jungkook?”

“This has been building for months now, my Lord,” the man responded, eyes growing sad as he looked out over the field of his fallen family and friends. “The strangers came from the west, and with them, their own gods. Lord Jungkook was overwhelmed before we could try to help. The few of us who are left of his Sept don’t know if he still lives or not.”

Jin did his best to keep his face impassive, though he couldn’t help the protective tightening on his arm around the dove he carried. The reflex drew the eyes of the man in front of him, and the mortal’s eyes filled with tears.

“Ah, I remember now. The doves all swooped in to protect their master when the strangers came. One of their gods was with them, and he shot the bird out of the sky. Lord Jungkook ordered the rest away before they could fall too.” The man sniffed, trying to compose himself. “I’ve been with these birds for years. It feels the same as losing a friend - and I’ve lost plenty of those too. I’m sorry, my Lord, excuse me.”

With that, the man pulled away with a sharp breath, shuffling his way over to one of the other survivors. Ordinarily, Jin would have offered to help heal his minor wounds, but his mind was too full of other things to bring it up and the man clearly didn’t want company.

Strangers had arrived in Eon? They had brought at least one of their own gods with them too, which was also a problem.

Jin had encountered a few gods during his travels in foreign lands, but upon realizing they were there, he had steered clear as best he could. It was simple etiquette to avoid another deity’s domain, as most guarded their power fiercely against outsiders, even if they shared with others in their own pantheon. There was only so much tribute and worship to go around, and unless you were declaring war on another pantheon, no god intentionally tried to influence another’s believers.

That another god would come in and kill an entire Sept and take captive the god of another pantheon? That was more than a declaration of war. That was declaring you’d already taken over and were getting rid of those who were no longer relevant anymore.

Jin’s breath hitched with fury, but he tamped it down in favor of glancing down at the dove held close to his chest. Reaching out his free hand, he summoned a cage from his workshop, unwilling to risk it being in the open any longer. So long as the dove was in the cage, none but Jin would be able to touch it due to the magics crafted into the metal. He owed it to Jungkook to at least make sure none would further defile his precious birds.

He set it gently at the bottom of the cage, sealing it behind the protective bars as he clutched it close. Taking a step, he found himself back in his workshop. The room was the same as he’d left it, wide tables covered in loose scrolls and the tattered remains of books that had been removed from the wall-to-wall library on his left. To his right was a wall with built-in nooks and cubby-holes, overflowing with metals, woods, stones, feathers, string, leaves, and more. At the corner, there was an area with hanging tools, everything from scissors to a box of screws to knives to wrenches, and a little away from that, a small smithy station was set up, the furnace ever-glowing.

Jin sighed, moving his way through the workshop to reach a door leading to the pseudo-shopfront on the other side. This part of the workshop was capable of being seen by mortals, but few ever noticed it, much less approached. So, it mainly ended up being a storage place for his finished creations, as evident by the rows of cages like the one he was holding.

He was reluctant to put the cage down, irrationally concerned that the moment he released the dove from his hold it would come to further harm. Still, he set it down on a free space on the counter nearby. Jin looked down at the motionless bird for a moment more, before sighing again and summoning a small length of cloth to hide its broken body from sight. He’d see to sending it off to the Dancing Trees later, with the help of Hoseok. For now, he was more concerned about finding a lead about where Jungkook was being held and who was responsible for the attack on Jungkook’s Sept.

Turning away, he was about to return to his workshop when the cage suddenly jolted. Jin nearly jolted in surprise himself, and would have thought he’d imagined it were it not for the quavering, pained coos now emerging from the cage. Then the pulse of power hit him as well, and his eyes snapped to look out the window. That was Jungkook, for sure. He’d know the feeling of the other god’s power anywhere.

Glancing back to the dove’s cage, Jin lifted the cloth carefully to see the dove still broken and bleeding, but alive now where before there had only been death. He was torn - on one hand he wanted to chase after the remnants of Jungkook’s power, which he could already feel fading, and on the other hand he wanted to help the dove, who was miraculously alive again.

Another look at the suffering bird decided it, and Jin heaved a final sigh, before summoning a chair and settling in. He gently opened the cage and carefully eased the bird inside into his hands.

“Alright,” he said aloud to it, “let’s get to work.”


	3. Chapter 2

_ Nobody knows where the Seventh came from, but all can agree that he is of the land. He feels it as strongly as we feel our own skin and bones, and he came into being without any influence from us at all. Perhaps he has always been here. His name has either never been known, or it has been forgotten to time, and so most either call him the Host or Eon, as this land is both he himself and his to offer us. A few call him the Priest, believing he will guide them back to where people first began. Whatever name you know him by, know that you will always be safe if calling upon him, my dear, for he cares for all creatures upon his soil. Whether it be a need for shade or a need for rain, he will be there, for he is in everything around us and can always hear our voices. _

* * *

Jungkook ran.

He was moving faster than the horses tamed by the people of Namjoon’s Sept, but still it did not seem fast enough. He ignored the bite of thorns into his wrists, the sheer  _ wrongness _ of the foreign growth tying his limbs together. It was not of his land, he had never encountered it before.  _ It didn’t belong to him _ , and it  _ hurt _ . But he had to get away, and so for now he left the biting tendrils where they were.

Stumbling a little, woozy and off-balance, he glanced over his shoulder back across the empty fields to the temporary fortress the strangers had erected, and their strange god they brought with them. There was nobody following him, but that didn’t mean much. Jungkook knew he had taken out a fair number of them in the blast of power he had unleashed to free his ankles from the same fate as his wrists, but he had no idea what the abilities of this new god were. So he’d continue to run.

They had slaughtered his Sept, and even though he didn’t need them for power like his brothers, he had loved each mortal in it as his family. Jungkook had no idea how many had survived the attack, or if any of them had even survived at all. Without their direct connection to his powers, it was hard to tell how many still lived. Grief mingled with the exhaustion running through him at the display of power so soon after the battle, and it left him gasping before he pushed it away again.

Focus, he had to stay focused.

He knew where his feet were taking him instinctively. There was only one place he would go when reduced to such a state, after such a shocking series of events: the glade he called home, and the soothing waters of the pond in its center.

It was a place he had quickly realized was inaccessible to others, once he had met his now-brothers. They had never been able to find the glade and were incapable of entering it, even when he tried to lead them there himself. He didn’t know if there was some magic to the place itself that caused that to happen, or if it was something about his own ambiguous abilities. Either way, it was the one place he knew he would be safe.

Jungkook slowed when he hit the trees, finally out of immediate eyesight and in an area of relative safety. He caught his breath, feeling the drain on his energy levels ease a little at his presence in familiar territory, but still far less capable than he would prefer. He panted, spinning around to scan the trees around him for any signs of pursuit. He had been taken so off guard by these strangers before that his Sept had paid the price, and he would not let it happen again so soon.

Suddenly he froze.

His was not the only Sept, and if the god of these strangers was willing to declare open war on them all, then he had to warn them. At full strength, Jungkook could have taken a step and reached any of them in a moment, but in his current state of being drained and restrained by foreign bonds, he could do little more than walk as a mortal would.

Well, he tilted his head consideringly. There was  _ one _ way he could try to contact at least one of his brothers in this state, and he could warn the others. It was dangerous, and it wasn’t even certain it would work, but it wasn’t like he had many other choices at the moment.

Jungkook glanced behind him, jogging a little further into the trees just to be safe. Doing this would leave him incredibly vulnerable if it worked, and he had no wish to be taken again. After he deemed himself far enough into the forest, he stopped, closing his eyes.

Reaching deep inside himself he could feel the sturdy threads tying him to each and every aspect of the land around him. He could feel every tree, every rock, every stream. Every patch of sun-warmed ground, every breeze in the trees, every vibration of movement that living beings made as they traversed through the world. It was a constant part of his awareness, even if he didn’t usually focus on it this intensely, and he had never been without it.

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Jungkook wrapped his mental fingers around those threads and  _ ripped _ .

Agony was the only word to describe the feeling. The whole world was sent reeling as his awareness of nearly everything snapped, torn from him in a single instant. His body felt heavier than it should - mortal and fragile the very moment his threads had been torn from his essence. His limbs trembled at the sensation, sending signals of  _ wrongwrongwrong _ to his brain, and his exhaustion suddenly felt ten-fold.

His eyes rolled back in his head at the weariness and overload of information - or lack of? - and he didn’t even realize he was falling until he was lying on his side staring at the blades of grass in front of his face.

_ Please work _ , he tried to say, but he had no idea if any sound actually passed his lips before his eyes closed against his will and he succumbed to the darkness that, as an immortal, he had never anticipated experiencing himself.


	4. Chapter 3

_ The Third Brother is said to dwell in the Land of the Dancing Trees. As the Keeper of Souls, he takes us in when we die, for we become Trees ourselves before re-entering the world anew. He cares for our Forests as needed, making sure we grow big and strong so that we are able to be reborn into a new life. He is not as scary as Death itself, for he is not Death, but a guardian of souls. Few have ever entered his domain before dying, but it is said that if you can find him, you can ask for a single wish to be granted - your ‘dying wish’ some have joked. If you refuse his offer of a wish, you may be granted a blessing of luck instead, if your reason for refusing impresses him enough. Regardless, the Keeper - the Gardener, our final King - is said to be kind, and you should never fear for your safety when you meet him. _

* * *

Hoseok felt the wave of disturbance pass through the trees - enough to make him pause, tucked into a crouch beside a tree where he was feeding it energy. He tipped his head, casting his awareness out over his domain, hands still but ready as he tried to figure out what was wrong.

He almost recoiled as the land itself seemed to be rioting, screaming with the feeling of wrongness that permeated it. Jolting to his feet, Hoseok left the tree he was tending to and took off at a run in the direction that the feeling seemed strongest. It didn’t take him long to reach it - it never did - and he halted at the sight of a body curled up on the ground in front of him, facing away from him.

They appeared to be a youth, mortal from every aspect he could sense but for the land roiling nauseously in his awareness around them. A crow was perched upon their side, and at first Hoseok thought the bird was somehow eating the boy, despite the rules of his domain forbidding it. As he approached though, it became clear that the crow was merely tapping the boy with its beak, before cawing and flying off as Hoseok came closer.

The fact that the unknown boy hadn’t been brought to him as a soul but had instead kept his body was concerning enough on its own. Adding in everything else, Hoseok was very worried about what in the world was going on. He had occasionally had living visitors, but the boy before him was clearly dead, leaving him with no explanations for what was going on.

Crouching down beside the boy’s back, Hoseok ignored the sickly feeling of the land beneath his feet and rolled the youth onto his back. He recoiled with an involuntary cry at the familiar sight of Jungkook’s face, now motionless.

“Jungkook,” he breathed, lurching forward again to shake the younger god’s shoulders, stomach clenching at the feeling of  _ mortalmortalwrongmortalwrong _ beneath his hands, “ _ wake up _ , you idiot, come on. This isn’t funny, wake up!”

The other god was limp and unresponsive. Hoseok withdrew, hands shaking and mind reeling as he tried to comprehend just what he was seeing. It was no wonder the land was rioting, Hoseok thought, dazed with panic, if its master was d-

No. He would not think like that. He was the King of the Dead, the Gardener of the Dancing Trees, the Keeper of Souls. If there was anyone who could track down where Jungkook’s soul had gone and bring it back, it was him.

Hoseok took a deep breath, then shifted his vision so that he could see the souls all around him. He blinked as the Trees suddenly lit up around him, before turning his attention to the motionless god at his feet. He’d never tried to see a god’s soul before, but surely there  _ must _ be something there, right?

Peering closer, he didn’t see anything that looked like a normal soul to him. Instead, he saw a bundle of snapped, frayed threads floating around Jungkook’s body. Hoseok blinked, confused for a moment at what he was seeing before he inhaled sharply upon finally recognizing it for what it was.

Something had ripped the source of Jungkook’s power away from him. None of them were entirely certain why Jungkook didn’t need followers like the rest of them, but his existence was tied to his domain the same as the rest of them. For it to be ripped away like that…

Shaking off his thoughts, Hoseok settled in, ignoring the disturbed earth below him, and began to sort through the threads bit by bit, reconnecting them to the frayed ends within Jungkook’s body. If he was King of the Dead, then he could also bring someone back, and so that was what he would do.

He had no idea how much time had passed since he began, time lost in a haze of careful handling and reconnection. But eventually, Hoseok only had a single thread left to reconnect. He paused, nervous. If Jungkook, as a (currently-former) immortal, was different than a mortal, then nothing would happen. And if that was the case, then Hoseok had no idea what he would do. But, if it worked, then Jungkook would be back, so he had to try and risk failing anyway.

With a deep breath, Hoseok reattached the final thread and waited.

There was a long moment of silence, where Hoseok’s heart sank, before the roiling in the earth below spiked and Jungkook’s eyes snapped open with a loud gasp. He jolted upright, hands scrabbling at the earth as he curled in on himself.

“Jungkook!” Hoseok exclaimed, hands hovering anxiously over the boy, wanting to comfort him, but unsure how. “You’re okay now, you’re alright! It’s okay!”

Jungkook’s eyes darted around wildly, before latching onto Hoseok’s own worried gaze. The younger god looked confused for a moment before realization set in, and he began to try to stand.

“Your Sept,” he gasped, reaching out to clutch Hoseok’s arms which were already held out to help him. “You have to warn your Sept.”

“Jungkook, slow down,” Hoseok said, trying to make the younger god stay on the ground for a moment longer. “You were  _ dead _ , just - take a minute, please!”

“There’s no  _ time _ !” Jungkook insisted, hurrying to his knees. “This was only temporary, and you have to warn them - my Sept is  _ gone _ !”

At this, Hoseok froze.

Not much could take out an entire Sept, especially one as closely under guard as Jungkook’s. While many gods lived apart from their followers, like he himself did, Jungkook was one of the few who actively lived among them. For an entire Sept to be wiped out while their god was among them…

“What?” he breathed, almost unable to comprehend the scene Jungkook was painting.

“You have to warn the others,” Jungkook demanded before a full-bodied shudder went through him. Hoseok’s hands fluttered above him, anxious after his brother’s recent brush with death. “You have to warn them, and hide the rest of the Septs. The strangers are coming, and they’re bringing at least one god with them!”

Hoseok’s eyes went wider. A new god…? There hadn’t been one of those since Hoseok and his brothers came into existence. But that would explain how Jungkook’s Sept had been taken out, if he was focused on dealing with the new god instead.

“Please, take care of what’s left of my Sept,” Jungkook continued, another shudder working through him. “They should reach you soon. Warn the others, before it’s to-”

With that, Jungkook blinked out of existence.

Hoseok stared at the place where the younger god had just been, uncomprehending, before panic took over him. He cast his energy out for Jungkook’s soul, growing more desperate as he failed to find him anywhere in the Forest. It was only when he noticed that the land had calmed down and settled again that his panic eased. Tilting his head, Hoseok reached out for it, both with his powers and with his hand.

For lack of a better description, the land felt disgruntled, but it was far more peaceful than it had been earlier, where it had been roiling in upset. Hoseok breathed out a deep sigh of relief, realizing that Jungkook must have snapped elsewhere - maybe to where he’d been in the land of the living before ending up in the Land of the Dancing Trees.

Doing his best to set aside his panic, Hoseok considered what he should do next. Jungkook was clearly in trouble, and a part of him was desperate to go find him - especially after what he had just witnessed. However, Jungkook himself had wanted him to warn their brothers instead, since he apparently couldn’t.

Mind made up, Hoseok straightened, hand falling from the earth. He would go to Yoongi first, he thought. His was the next largest official Sept, so he and his followers would be the most in danger.


	5. Chapter 4

_ The Second Brother is considered to be our guardian while we live. He is the master of the night and the one who brought us fire again. He watches us through the dark, and lit the stars above and our nightly fires so we can see and be safe. His Sept welcomes all, though his is the most organized following of the Seven. While his Sept is open to anyone, his church is open only to women, for they are the ones to care for the ones he takes under his wing when the night threatens their safety - and they feel safest around them. He is known as the Starbringer, the Firecaster, our protective Warrior in the night. He’ll come for you should you ever be in danger once the sun falls, love, so call to him when you must. _

* * *

Yoongi stood at the back of his church, eyes closed as he lit candles by passing his hand over them. Around him, dozens of voices rang out in song, sending their belief out into the world and he let it seep into his form like rain.

As the candles lit, the smell of beeswax filled the air while their glow bounced off of the red drapings and banners, until the color reflected itself even through his eyelids. He opened his eyes, immediately seeing the dark wooden benches, the black walls underneath the red drapings, and the hanging lantern spotted with circles representing the planets and stars in the middle of the ceiling.

He saw the rows of priestesses with their dark robes and white cloth headbands all clutching a candle of their own - and to the side, several of his priestesses offering food and warm blankets to a haunted looking woman hugging herself, and a silent and still child with bruises along his arms and a wary look in his eyes. Yoongi made the flames of the torches near them a little warmer and brighter in response to their expressions.

He’d been able to reach them before any true harm had been done, thankfully, but their experiences would linger with them for years to come - though for different reasons. One of the families in his Sept would take in the boy and help him heal, while his own priestesses would be able to support the woman until she was ready and willing to stand on her own again.

The song the priestesses were singing came to an end, and they all stood in unison, ready for the next stage of their nightly worship. Yoongi never liked to actively participate in any of it, but his Sept - rather, his priestesses - had developed traditions on their own. He couldn’t deny that the structure provided more power, so Yoongi had never protested, but he still stuck to the shadows, not wanting direct attention on his presence in the church.

Suddenly, the door burst open and all the priestesses dropped their candles to the sand floor where they went out, to pull out a dagger on the newcomer knowing none of the Sept would interrupt the nightly ritual unless it was an emergency. Yoongi’s head snapped up but upon seeing Hoseok, he stepped forward out of the shadows. The priestesses recognized the other god as well, and bowed to him before sheathing their daggers and picking up their candles to begin the process of relighting them.

“Hoseok,” Yoongi greeted, leading his brother to the back of the church where it was a little quieter and more secluded. “I thought you hated leaving your Forest behind.”

“I do,” the other god responded, expression a little uncomfortable from being so directly in a place full of another god’s power. “But something’s happened. Jungkook showed up in the Forest today.”

“So? Kook-ah visits you all the time,” Yoongi responded, waving his hand at a nearby torch that was dying, causing it to light up again immediately. “What makes this time so unique that you came all the way here?”

“You don’t understand,” Hoseok said, his usually cheery disposition serious enough that Yoongi paused to look at him properly. “He showed up among the Trees  _ dead _ .”

“ _ What?! _ ” Yoongi gaped at him, his full attention suddenly on the slightly younger god as his heart plummeted. “How - he’s  _ immortal _ , that should be impossible!”

“I know. I looked, and it seemed like something or someone ripped him away from the source of his power,” Hoseok explained, and it was only the lack of grief and panic on his face that kept Yoongi even remotely calm when hearing about the apparent death of their youngest brother. “I managed to reattach it to him, and he woke up again, but…”

“But what?”

“He was panicked, said his entire Sept had been wiped out by foreigners from the west.” Hoseok’s brow wrinkled, and Yoongi tried to wrap his head around that statement. Jungkook’s Sept had probably been as large if not larger than his own, made of a nomadic people that traveled with him across the land. For it to be entirely gone was almost inconceivable. “He said they brought a new god with them.”

Yoongi’s blood went cold.

He knew as well as his brothers what new gods meant. There was a reason they stuck to their borders, rather than traveling all the time. Jin was the exception to that, and even he avoided other pantheons, knowing how possessive gods were with their worship and that the presence of a new god could be considered a declaration of war.

“Did he say what kind of new god?” he asked carefully, breathing deeply to keep the shadows from getting too dark and the flames from rising too high in his agitation. Hoseok shook his head.

“No, he didn’t get the chance. Once he was no longer dead, his aspect snapped back to wherever he had been before physically, I think.” Hoseok frowned, not used to being unable to sense someone he was looking for. Yoongi absorbed the information, feeling troubled at the news, with a part of him wanting to check over their youngest brother himself.

“I’ll let my Sept know,” he finally said. “They can send a messenger out to the nearby villages, and I can go with you to help warn the other Septs, since that’s what Jungkook thought best to do.”

“You should stay here,” Hoseok denied, shaking his head. “I can warn the others, my Sept is small and already knows. They know how to hide from outsiders - even other gods. But yours we can’t risk. It’s the next largest after his, and if they attack again, you’ll need to be here to help them.”

Hoseok’s expression was earnest as he looked at Yoongi, and the elder god sighed, giving in to the younger’s wishes.

“Alright, I’ll remain here. If you encounter whoever remains of Jungkook’s followers, send them here. We’re large enough to host them until they get back on their feet,” Yoongi said, running a hand through his hair in agitation. He turned to look at his younger brother seriously. “Be careful, Hope-ah. Until we know what we’re dealing with, stay away from the newcomers.”

“I will,” Hoseok promised, turning to walk towards the door. Around him, the priestesses chanted in prayer, lifting their candles to the sky as if to light the heavens above. As he reached the threshold of the church, between one blink of the eyes and the next he was gone.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, funny story. I thought that yesterday was Tuesday and today was Wednesday, so I'm sorry this is a day late, haha!

_ The Fifth Brother is a traveler like the Seventh. However, his is a different kind of travel - journeys for the soul, rather than as a way of life or for the earth itself. He loves music, and is the patron of the arts. He is our Nomad, our Dancer - some would call him our Artisan. He is the rhythm of drums in your heart, the bravery of trying something new, the hands guiding your paintbrush. If the First Brother gives our things their form, the Fifth gives them their purpose. He is freedom, music, and movement - both of self and location alike - given form. He is one of the gentlest of the Seven, and has an open hand to any who would choose to take it. _

* * *

Jimin reveled in the summer sun - the beat of the drum, the feeling of the wind, the heat covering him like a blanket. It was the joy of being alive, more pure and freeing than anything in the world. Around him, a crowd of children swirled in rings in their own versions of his dance. None of them aligned, and a few nearly collided with each other several times, but that only caused Jimin’s joy to grow.

It was hard for adults to let go enough to simply be, he’d found over the years. But children - there was an innocent joy to them that translated itself to the rest of their lives. They weren’t worried about the opinions of others yet, or about what looked the best. They simply were themselves and danced however the music told them too, and it was  _ beautiful _ .

He spun quickly, slapped the earth, then rose up again into bounding leap, eyes closed. He could hear the song coming to an end, knew the parents of the children would be calling them back home for the day soon. For now though, it didn’t matter, and he would enjoy the moment while it lasted.

The boy playing the drum for them all picked up his tempo, leading them all into a whirling crescendo, before playing the final ringing beat. Around him, Jimin could hear the children panting from the exertion of all their dances. There was laughter too, as several of them flopped to the ground with mock complaints about having no energy to  _ walk _ , much less dance another step.

Jimin smiled, sitting in the center of them all, not even having broken a sweat at all the activity. He could probably have danced for years and not even breathe heavily, he mused, pondering the difference between his immortal form and the mortal limitations of the children around him.

Movement to his right caught his attention, and he saw a woman he knew to be the mother of the twins in his circle come over the hilltop. She spotted him and bowed her head, a small smile about her lips. He nodded in return, then turned to watch as the twins spotted her and jumped to their feet. Their exhaustion forgotten, they ran to her, babbling all about their afternoon.

One by one the other parents came to collect their children, though a few of the older ones left on their own. The children all offered waves to Jimin as they went, and the parents gave shallow bows. He acknowledged each with a gentle smile, until it was just him and the boy who had been playing the drum left in the clearing.

“From, you should eat,” Jimin finally said into the silence, gesturing towards the run-down truck that was nothing more than scrap metal by now. It was where they stored things, whenever they stopped by now, to keep them out of the way of the fun. The orphan boy nodded, hopping off his tree stump and placing the drum on the pile of others Jimin had been gifted with over the years.

Jimin watched as he wandered over to the old car and dug around inside it for the offerings that had been given to Jimin earlier that day. He emerged with a wedge of cheese, a few apples, and half a loaf of bread. He brought the whole lot back to his tree stump and settled in to eat.

“You played well,” Jimin praised, his smile growing as From paused in his eating to smile shyly back at him. “Your skill with rhythms and tempos is improving. Well done.”

Before Jimin could continue or From could sign anything to him, an electric tingle went through his body, and he was standing before even a blink of an eye had passed, eyes wide. From almost dropped his food at the sudden movement, but instead he tucked it away again as he signed his confusion.

“Namjoon?” Jimin asked softly, confused. After a moment, he turned his attention to From and held out a hand. The boy took it immediately, well aware of what was about to happen. They had traveled like this before, and he would not be alarmed by it now. Weaving his fingers between From’s own securely, Jimin took a step and blinked them into what looked like a desert.

Beside them was a grounded fishing boat, falling apart in its disuse. It was obviously a ship from Before, as nobody was able to make boats like that anymore, but also because there hadn’t been a lake or river large enough for it in years. Looking out over the desert around them, Jimin realized it had once been a lake, now completely dried up.

He glanced down at From and moved the boy into his own shadow, well aware of how much more affected mortals were in such locations. Looking up, he saw Namjoon standing surrounded by a variety of animals - some freed from the old zoos of Before, it seemed - his hands pressed together in prayer as Hoseok watched on.

Oh, Jimin realized. The prayer. That was what had caused the feeling from earlier. He hadn’t even known that gods could pray to other gods.

Opening his eyes, Namjoon lowered his hands, smiling at Jimin and From kindly. Beside him, Hoseok’s eyes were wide in surprise, clearly just as taken aback by the prayer working as Jimin was.

“Jimin, good,” he said, his eyes touching briefly on From as he nodded a greeting, before turning his attention back to the other god. His expression was as serious as he continued. “We have news.”


	7. Chapter 6

_ The Sixth Brother is tied to the wilderness - the danger of the wilds, the wild creatures who live freely, the wild places that remain unknown and untouched by us. He is also the patron of the wounded, able to heal any illness or injury with a simple touch. He is the Healer, the Wilderlord, the Server of all that exists at its most basic. He is more independent than his brothers, but he can be won over with patience and dedication - much like the wild animals he roams with - and once you have his attention he will do what he can to help you if you need it. _

* * *

Taehyung opened his eyes, arms spread out at his sides, and one knee bent as he lay with his head pillowed on a log. The sky above stretched out as a vast field of blue, until he tipped his head to the side. There was a young girl, her eyes bound in a length of rough fabric, her lips moving silently in prayer as she clasped her hands in front of her. Taehyung blinked slowly at her, and tuned in to listen.

_ Lord of the Wilds, please safeguard my passage. Please help keep me from harm, and I will harm none in return. I have no ill will towards the creatures and beings of these lands, and simply request safety and to be left alone as I travel. _

She was traveling alone? What purpose could a girl of her age have venturing out into the wild alone when she wasn’t able to see? He could tell that she wasn’t born blind - her inability to see was very recent, maybe even as recent as the past few days.

He was intrigued enough to grant her request, choosing to walk beside her as she finished her prayer and stood, beginning to shuffle slowly forward. Her hands were lightly outstretched before her, her feet tapping out a careful pattern as she moved. Taehyung walked with her, moving several roots and stones out of her way with a flick of his eyes.

They continued like this until noon, the girl keeping to a remarkably straight line despite the terrain and her new inability to gauge where she was going by sight alone. However, at noon they reached a river, and despite her faith in him up until now, the girl hesitated at the banks. The water from the river splashed over the tips of her shoes, and there was silence as Taehyung watched and waited to see what she would do.

Finally, the girl took a deep breath and slowly slid her left foot into the water. Her hands came up for balance and to ward off any obstructions as she slid her right foot into the river as well. Before she could even take another step, Taehyung reached out and lightly took hold of both her hands. Her fingers jolted in his grip in surprise, and she nearly slipped before Taehyung tightened his grip to keep her steady. She paused.

“Lord Taehyung,” she whispered. He squeezed her fingers lightly in response. The girl’s tension eased, and she took her next step confidently, trusting him to not lead her astray and to lead her safely to the other side. They made short work of the river after that, Taehyung guiding her over the slippery stones to the other side, and her stepping confidently but carefully after him.

As soon as both her feet were on solid ground again, he released her from his hold. The girl tilted her head, running her fingers over her dry clothes curiously. After a moment, she turned her head with almost eerie accuracy to where he stood watching her and gave a small but bright smile.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, before she turned to continue walking. She did not stop to eat, nor did the hunger seem to bother her as she trekked through the woods. They walked for hours, only pausing briefly to rest when the girl’s legs grew weak. Eventually, near nighttime, they were forced to stop for good in the middle of the open fields, as the girl was too tired to continue for the day.

She built a fire slowly, carefully, using her fingers and other senses to make up for being unable to see what she was doing. Taehyung guided the right materials to her when it looked like she was struggling a little too much, but overall, she was doing well.

Once the fire was up and going, the girl pulled out a small loaf of bread from her pocket, breaking it in two and tucking one of the halves back away. The other she tore a corner off of, tossing it into the flames.

Immediately, the taste of fresh-baked bread spread across Taehyung’s tongue, and he inhaled the smoke from the fire deeply, eyes closing as he savored the offering. The taste eventually faded as the bread turned to ash, but his eyes remained closed, willing to let himself drift off.

Here in the wilds of the world, nothing would harm them. It was his domain, no wild being would dare come close with the intent to harm. They would both rest safely that night, watched by the stars and sky alike.

The planet spun beneath him as he rested, and the movements and trails of wild animals wove their way across the back of his eyelids. Distant waterfalls and glens were lit up like sparks against the void, and far-off caves and hollow trees glimmered like fireflies in the heat of summer nights.

Taehyung hadn’t realized that he’d lost himself to the world until something tugged at his awareness again. He followed it, until he found his body again, a small shrine now set up where his head rested upon the ground. It was crafted of splayed sticks, looking like a tree that had had its trunk eaten by the earth, its splayed branches reaching towards the sky - or perhaps a crown of sunlight, spreading outward from where his head had rested upon the ground.

A multitude of feathers were strung upon its branches, all kinds of colors, from a variety of birds. Taehyung rested a hand against it, looking up at the feathers swirling in the slow breeze, and then in the next breath he was looking up at the sky again and tipping his head to the side to glance at the girl he was accompanying beyond known civilization.

She had stoked the fire up again to a low flame and would have been awake for a while yet, to have constructed his shrine so well already. As if sensing him looking at her, she paused in the middle of poking at the fire with a long stick. Setting it aside gently, she stood and walked several paces away from the camp, facing away from him as if looking before her.

Following her with his eyes as he sat up, Taehyung suddenly noticed something he had missed before in the dark. Before them, there was a large stone wall, cutting the forest he knew to be beyond it off from the rest of the world. He stared at it in shock, trying to comprehend what he was seeing.

How had neither Jungkook nor himself noticed this? Out of everyone, they were the two most likely to, and he’d received no word from the younger god about people deciding to build in the wilds.

He stood, slowly walking towards the girl, his eyes stuck on the wall.

“They came with their god, intending to destroy us,” the girl said, and suddenly Taehyung understood her to be of Jungkook’s own Sept, with the same way of knowing that his brothers were gods and birds were alive. “They took our god from us when they were done and he was exhausted. They wrapped him in thorns and locked him up. A few of us tried to follow, and we were either killed or blinded. But yesterday morning I felt our god’s power come from here like a beacon, and knew I had to come.”

Taehyung reeled with the information he had been given, even as his stomach dropped. Jungkook had been stolen by another, and none of them had known a thing about it. An entire Sept had been decimated, and none of the other six had had any clue. Now, a girl had led him to a place where Jungkook either was or had recently been, and he knew.

He stopped walking when he was a little ways in front of the girl, turning back to where she stood calmly, her strip of cloth covering her blinded eyes - apparently blinded when trying to follow Jungkook here. He crouched in front of her, turning to glance over his shoulder at the stone wall.

They may have tried to keep this bit of land contained, but there was nothing the wild hated more than confinement. That combined with the power he’d gained from the offering the previous night and the shrine this morning made it easy to reach out and split the wall, forcing it to make a gate and open to the space beyond.

Turning his attention back to the girl, he reached up and rested his fingers over the fabric of the blindfold, carefully pulling it down to reveal newly-seeing eyes. She blinked in the sunlight, glancing down at him with serious eyes. As he stood, she linked their hands and lifted her gaze to follow his own as they stood in front of the newly-opened gate in the wall, and the barren land beyond where once there had been a lush forest.

_ Taehyung, we have news _ . Namjoon’s voice echoed in his mind, sending an electric shock through his system at the strange sensation of a fellow god praying to him. Pushing down his surprise and the strangeness of it all, he sent a short prayer back.

_ I do too, _ he said quietly.  _ You guys should come find me. You’ll want to see this. _


	8. Chapter 7

_ The Fourth Brother though, he is one who has a way with the creatures of this world. He was the one who taught us how to keep animals again, after everything. He showed us how to hunt, how to fish, and how to farm. He is the Beastmaster, our Patron, the Sage. He guided our hands to keep us fed and warm when we were in our most desolate moments. He loves humanity with all he is, but he still has pride in what he does and care for the animals he has helped us tame, so never mistreat or misuse the gifts he has given us or you may find yourself without any of them. _

* * *

Namjoon walked through the wild lands, following the signal of Taehyung’s presence. It was impossible to miss the spark of divinity among the dull glow of other life. Four other sparks were converging on the location as well, and he knew all but Jungkook were coming to join them. Emerging from a small copse of trees, he saw his four brothers, followed by some of the members of their Septs. He recognized a few of the faces, From who was Jimin’s most permanent follower, Joriona who was the head priestess of Hoseok’s Sept, Peroo who led Yoongi’s church, and Yos who was one of the leaders following Jin. There were more too, a small crowd of people following after them, seemingly able to sense something happening among their gods.

As they came over a small hill, all five of their footsteps slowed as something new suddenly became visible. A large wall rose up over the plains, smooth and unyielding, apart from a gate directly before Taehyung.

Their second-youngest brother was facing the barren lands on the other side, his fingers linked with those of a young girl standing beside him. He didn’t react to their perplexed approach, merely looking, his eyes considering the space on the other side of the wall as his brothers became level with him, their followers hanging back.

“She said she followed Jungkook’s power here, after they were attacked,” he finally says, his deep voice quiet as ever. “There’s no forest on the other side anymore, no life in the land, in the earth. Even this gate wasn’t here before we arrived, I only opened it when she brought me here.”

They stood and looked out beyond the wall. Namjoon felt no sign of Jungkook, and no matter how hard he tried, there was no trace of him to be found in the land beyond. It was unsettling, and he couldn’t shake off a twist of wary anticipation as he felt the absence.

“I have one of his sacred doves,” Jin finally said, glancing down at the cage in his hand. “It was left behind after the battle, dead from an arrow. After I brought it back to my workshop, it came back to life with a wave of Jungkook’s power, probably what drew some of his followers to the area. It should be able to find him instinctively, if we release it.”

Namjoon looked over at the cage as Jin moved the fabric covering it to the side. The bird inside looked around curiously, before it laid eyes on him. Upon seeing the god of domesticated animals, it ruffled its wings, cooing a little and peering at him intently.

“Find your master,” he told it, feeling a glimmer of understanding come from it. “Guide him back to us, or guide us to him if he is unable to leave.”

The dove bobbed its head, and Jin flipped the latch to the cage door, freeing it as he swept the covering for the cage off entirely, letting it drift to the ground. The dove took flight immediately, and they watched as it rose higher and higher, before veering off to the right. Eventually, it disappeared from sight, and they were left alone again with their small crowd of followers.

“So, what should we do now?” Jimin asked, eyes still on the horizon. “We can’t just sit and wait while our Septs are in danger. If it were just us, that would be one thing, but with our people at risk it’s another.”

“We wait for the dove,” Yoongi replied, shifting his gaze from where the dove had faded from sight. “And in the meantime, we make a plan. We already know the newcomers are bold. We know they are dangerous, and that they didn’t just come here on a whim. It was intentional, calculated, pointed. We need to decide what we are going to do.”

“Well,” Hoseok began, turning to the others, “we know that Yoongi’s Sept is trained in defense. We could try gathering the most vulnerable members of our Septs there, so that they could be defended if attacked. Or we could gather all our followers together, so that they would have safety in numbers and we wouldn’t need to split our attention between places. We would have safety in numbers too.”

“Taehyung’s Sept won’t be too pleased with that,” Jimin commented, glancing at the other god - the other holding true to his quiet nature and simply nodding in response. “You know they hate being tied down as much as Jungkook’s does - or, did. But… I think it might be worth it, to gather who we can, just to be sure.”

The reminder of what had happened to their missing brother’s Sept sobered the atmosphere. Around them, the small gathering of their followers began setting up camp for the day, realizing that their gods were planning on staying there for a while. After a few moments of silence, Namjoon noticed Taehyung watching him from off to the side.

“What are you thinking?” the god of the wilds asked, looking at him thoughtfully. His quiet voice catching the attention of the others who turned to look at him as well. “I know that look, you have an idea.”

“I do,” Namjoon responded slowly, a little hesitant. “I don’t know if it will work, but I think it will. It has to do with something we discovered earlier today, and I think it will help Jungkook if it works.”


	9. Chapter 8

_ The gods rebuilt our civilization alongside us, and reminded us of things we’d forgotten after the mistakes that led to our downfall Before. They found us when we were at our lowest, cold, hungry, alone, and lost. They rebuilt us from the ground up, giving us crops, animals, light, and homes. We owe them for our success, for our continued survival. We owe them our lives. _

* * *

He faded into awareness, seeing himself in an empty landscape of nothing but nature, sky wide and reaching above him and the earth familiar and spread out below his feet. Both were limitless, stretching out into the beyond, far past his current awareness.

Jungkook felt himself slowly tip back towards the earth as if falling, so slowly it was as if decades were passing between every beat of his heart. Above him the sky swirled, constellations coming together and falling apart before his eyes. The sun rose and fell as the moon waned and waxed, and before he knew it, millennia must have gone by. Around him, cities began to rise and fall, humanity began to grow and change, but his eyes stayed locked to the sky where the moon began rotating in the middle of the day, until it eclipsed the sun.

They opened their eyes, one gold and one silver, and smiled down at him.

_ Godling, _ they said together,  _ why do you not free yourself from your shackles? _

_ I can’t _ , he found himself responding.  _ I’m not strong enough, they are not of my land. _

_ You can, _ they hummed lowly, as the world continued to change around them.  _ All land is connected to the Earth. There is power in earth, more than enough for this. _

_ I don’t understand. _

_ All of humanity is defined by the earth,  _ the celestial continued obligingly.  _ They put their faith in it because they have to. For millennia, infants have been born upon it, babes have crawled it, humanity has walked it, and when they die have been buried in it. They grow their food in it, pull their water from it, release what they no longer need to it. Those lost at sea have embraced it. In older times they poured their offerings to the soil, and even if it was for another god, it went to the earth - and the ashes from what they burned in offering instead were buried as well. All their cities that ever were or ever will be will eventually be reclaimed by earth. Earth has existed before them, and will continue to exist after them, and they can imagine no other reality than that. There is power in that kind of faith, and that is the power in earth. Do you understand? _

_ Yes, _ he replied softly, still tipping back, back, back.  _ And you? _

_ There is power in the sky too _ , they acknowledged, glimmering eyes blinking.  _ They look to the sky for hope, for knowledge, for guidance, for light, and for life. They can no sooner imagine the sky fading than the earth crumbling beneath their feet. There is power in that too. _

_ Yes, there is _ , Jungkook replied, before he finally hit the earth with a resonance that seemed to ripple across the reality he was seeing.

_ Go, godling, _ the sky whispered, sun and moon slowly separating once more.  _ We’ll meet again, Eon. _

Jungkook blinked and saw green grass before his face, feeling the dappling of the sunlight through the leaves warming his skin. The earth beneath him was rich in scent, warm and full of life. Birds called their songs into the air, and an occasional frog sounded its tone.

He could almost forget the rest of the world, could almost be content to lie here for another age and then some. But the sharp biting of foreign thorns into his wrists kept him aware, and the grief from losing his Sept was enough to drive him away from the simple utopia.

Turning onto his knees, Jungkook pushed himself to his feet with the help of his elbows. He glanced around and saw that nobody had followed him this deep into the forests, so he turned and continued on towards his glade.

The forest was quiet around him, the only sounds being the soft sounds of nature as he walked. This land knew him, and he walked undisturbed across it, the animals around him unbothered by his presence.

It was obvious to tell when he entered his glade. No animals set foot in it, and there was an undeniable sense of  _ home _ that came with it. If the land could be compared to his limbs, the glade was more like his heart.

Rounding a stray sapling, he saw the pond in the center of the glade. Jungkook carefully made his way under the branches of a large tree towards the water, swaying slightly as his exhaustion and the foreign pull on his power continued. He reached the edge of the water and tipped his head back, eyes closing as he soaked up the sun.

He let the sky warm him as he stood, thinking back to that place in between life and death where he spoke to it.  _ There is power in earth _ . His eyes opened, and almost by instinct he continued forward. Jungkook felt a shiver go down his spine as he stepped into the cool water of the pond, his face tipped back towards the heavens a moment longer before he turned his attention to the water below.

The leather boots on his feet sunk into the muck at the bottom of the pond, but he paid it no mind as he waded in deep enough to wet the bottom of his tunic. Lifting his hands up before him, Jungkook peered at the thorny vines wrapped around his wrists as restraints.  _ There is power in earth _ .

Closing his eyes, he plunged his hands into the cool water, focusing intently on the thorns around him. Wrong, these were wrong and didn’t belong here. They needed to be gone, to be unwound, unmade, decayed.

Ripples formed around him as the water in the pond moved, flowing and curling around his arms and the thorns gently, carefully. He had no idea how long it took, but eventually the biting press of thorns turned to softer pinpricks, and then to mere tingles. When Jungkook opened his eyes again, the thorn restraints were gone, and his hands were free.

Laughing in relief, he spun, the green of the trees glowing brighter, and all the unbloomed flowers in the glade suddenly burst into color before fading back to their previous state - like spring in reverse. It didn’t take long before the joy at his freedom faded, as he remembered why he had been  _ not  _ free in the first place.

Grief and anger swirled together within him. He knew the Septs of the others were warned by now - he trusted Hoseok to have spread his warning. They were either protected or hidden, and none of his brothers would be taken off guard like he had been. But still. The ones who had slaughtered his people and the god who had tried to turn him into nothing more than a pet was still among these lands.

It had been hundreds of years since it had last been used, but Jungkook plunged his hands into the water again, digging deep into the murk at the bottom as his fingers reached. The land remembers what the people do not, and he searched for that memory now. His fingertips closed around a smooth, ridged edge and latched onto it. He pulled it from the mud, letting the pond water rinse everything.

Cradling it in his hands carefully, he lifted the old conch shell from the water. This forest used to be a sea, years and years ago - before the Before even. It was far off and distant, but the land never forgets, carrying its past with it over the millennia.  _ There is power in the sky, too _ .

Tipping the swirled end to his lips, he closed his eyes and blew the shell, hearing its piercing call rising up, up, up. The ground beneath him roiled in a mimicry of his own turbulent emotions, energy and heat coursing through everything. Far away, he knew a long-dormant volcano was beginning to wake up again.

Above him, he felt the pull on his divinity as the sky responded to his request for aid, clouds spreading and racing across previously-clear blue. Within minutes, it was as if a storm had been raging for hours, the world darkened by the clouds and the air tense as if before a hurricane.

The new god and his followers had declared war by killing off Jungkook’s Sept and taking him captive. So if it was a fight they wanted, then they would find those who remained defended.


	10. Chapter 9

_ What we give the gods in return is belief. We give them offerings, pray to them, put our faith in them. My love, there’s more power in such things than most realize - humans alone have done incredible things when gifted with any of the three, much less gods. As much as they empower us, we give them power in return. Our relationship is based on equal exchange, and it is because it is that it works, so never forget that. _

* * *

Jin’s eyes trailed across the courtyard outside Yoongi’s church. It was far more crowded than it usually was, members of all seven Septs lingering there instead of in their own homes. Most of their followers had agreed that a united approach to the threat made sense, and the ones who had stayed behind knew how to protect themselves.

Around him, there were dozens working to set up the impromptu preparations needed. Blazing braziers were arranged in a circle around the courtyard, and large tapestries of woven wool were being dragged out and hung up between the burning fires. There were people of all the Septs working on getting everything ready - only distinguishable by the variations in clothing style between the Septs.

He cast his eyes to the other end of the courtyard, catching sight of Namjoon talking quietly with Hoseok. The other god’s idea was a longshot, but he couldn’t deny that it had merit. Besides, if it would help Jungkook, Jin was willing to try anything.

The dove still hadn’t returned from when they’d sent it out. Jin didn’t know if that was a good sign or a bad one, but they were running out of time and options to do anything else, so he could only hope that it was with Jungkook and that they were both fine.

“Lord Seokjin,” a quiet voice came, and one of the members of his Sept approached - a young woman - holding a polished wooden box. “Here is the piece we normally use - I believe it will fit you.”

Nodding his thanks, Jin reached out and opened it gently. Within the box lay a carefully placed piece of metalwork that looked like a cross between jewelry and chain mail armor from the Old World. Lifting it, the piece was somehow heavier and lighter than expected, and he took a moment to feel its weight as the moment sunk in.

Blinking slowly, Jin lifted it up and slipped his arms through it, letting the metal jacket settle solidly and gracefully across his shoulders, back, and sides. The woman from his Sept closed the box and bowed, before stepping away to return the now-empty box to where it was being kept.

Glancing at the others, he saw that they were now wearing their Sept’s pieces as well. Hoseok had on a sort of hooded half-cloak in the same style of metalwork as Jin’s own, while Taehyung had a metallic shirt with a high necked collar that looked almost like a scarf. Yoongi had what appeared to be a shawl of silver links that covered his shoulders and the front of his shirt, and Namjoon had beautifully crafted metal gloves that went halfway up his arms. Jimin had a triangular work draped around him, looking like a cross between armor and a necklace. The only one missing was Jungkook’s Sept, with their more traditional style of a decorative chain mail shirt.

All the pieces were traditionally only worn by one of each of their followers during the  _ kainzas _ that happened periodically throughout the year, and it was a strange sensation to be wearing it themselves - and a glance at his brothers showed they felt similarly. Catching his eye, Jimin wandered closer, watching the proceedings around them.

“It feels odd to be on this side of things, doesn’t it?” he commented. “Still, I trust Namjoon’s ideas, and he was the one to figure out this was even a possibility.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that participating in our own worship ceremony is unusual, to put it lightly,” Jin pointed out. “I’m more surprised our Septs were able to set up a proper  _ kainza _ in time for this.”

“They’re resourceful, aren’t they?” Jimin smiled, glancing at the mixed crowd of their followers, before they both saw the others coming to join them. “Looks like it’s almost time.”

By unspoken agreement, they all took their places, with Hoseok, Jimin, and Taehyung approaching the front first and Jin, Yoongi, and Namjoon hanging back for the moment. Around them, their Sept members either went to stand near large drums or stood in formations of their own. Just as Jimin was about to give the call to start, what sounded like a low, piercing horn sounded in the distance and everyone froze.

“Jungkook,” Taehyung said softly, looking over towards the distance. As the call faded, dark storm clouds raced across the sky, and within moments it looked closer to nighttime than mid-afternoon. A nearby mountain rumbled, its top slowly glowing bright orange before a bubbling into what was clearly identifiable as molten rock, even from a distance.

“Do we continue?” Hoseok asked, glancing at the others uncertainly.

“It can’t hurt,” Yoongi pointed out. “We may need the power boost anyway, against the other god, and I’ve never seen Jungkook manipulate the sky before - we have no idea how much it may have affected him.”

A quick scan of the others showed that they all agreed, and Jin watched as the first three dancers took their places again, Jimin flicking a hand in the air to signal the drummers to begin. The rhythm that began built quickly, and the familiar sounds pulled at Jin like they did every year during the  _ kainzas _ , his nature as a faith-made god drawing him in towards the belief like plantlife chased the sun.

The trio of dancers stalked forward, and Jin felt the wash of Jimin’s abilities spread throughout them all as the dancing began, feeling of joy. It was followed shortly after by careful precision of Hoseok’s powers, and the freedom of Taehyung’s. Around them, their followers began dancing as well, caught up in the frenzy of the drums, divinity, and the energy around the courtyard. The drag of belief and divinity washed across his skin, and he took a deep breath in, feeling his own powers growing and responding faster than before with the added divinity.

Then the trio stepped back, and it was their turn. Jin moved forward with Yoongi and Namjoon, adding his own exploratory nature into the mix. He filled his lungs with air as he felt Namjoon mix in his steadiness, and as Yoongi added in his passion. The only thing missing was Jungkook’s contribution, but even this much being in the surroundings was heady.

Like the prayers to each other earlier, the feeling of another deity participating in the worship he was receiving (even if it wasn’t specifically for him, but rather for all of them) was electrifying. Those extra sparks of divinity changed everything about the  _ kainza _ into something new and far more powerful than any tribute they’d ever received.

Under the now-dark skies, the glow of the fires in the surrounding braziers cast shadows and flickering light over everything. The smoke they let off obscured the air, lending everything a dreamy quality under the pounding of the drums and the steady thumping of feet against the earth. Even they didn’t know much about the beginnings of humanity from Before and the start of their celebrations of the divine, but based on what they’d seen at the start of the New World, he imagined it would have looked a little like this.

Quietly, something new was added to the energy around them, a familiar sense of openness that had Jin’s breath catching in his throat as his eyes flashed to the side just in time to see a seventh figure step forward out of nothing. Jungkook joined the dance, his Sept’s traditional metalworked shirt upon his frame already as he fit seamlessly into the frenzy as the other three joined them so that all seven were dancing together.

With the final crescendo building and the seventh member of their pantheon back with them, there was so much energy in the air Jin could almost taste it. He felt almost like lightning should be running up and down his limbs at the feeling of the extra spark joining in for the ceremony. They moved faster and faster, the pace of the drums picking up before it all suddenly came to an end with a final ringing beat and stomp of a foot.

They stood still in silence for a long moment, before their followers stumbled to find a place to sit down, their breathing heavy in sudden silence. The seven gods shifted out of their finishing stances, breath even, before they turned as one to their returned seventh member.

“Jungkook, you’re back!” Hoseok said, rushing up to him and throwing his arms around the young god, clearly relieved to see him again after the abrupt way they’d left each other before. “What happened? Where have you been?”

“It’s… hard to explain,” he said, sounding a little distracted as his eyes tracked the crowd of followers with a mix of surprised curiosity and quiet grief. “I found an ally though who helped free me, and then I was called here. You’ve been busy.”

“Namjoon thought of it,” Taehyung spoke up, catching Jungkook’s eye as the god’s gaze drifted his way. “We figured a  _ kainza _ would help us prepare for whoever fought you.”

“An ally?” Yoongi asked, looking at Jungkook piercingly. “What kind of ally?”

“Someone like me,” he replied, glancing off into the distance at the shrouded sky. Then he stiffened, head snapping out towards the west. “They’re on their way. I can feel their footsteps, and the roiling of earth between their god’s feet. They’ll be here around nightfall, I think.”

Jin didn’t want to leave it at that - Jungkook too distracted and evasive about what had happened to sit easy with him, but if the strangers were coming then they would have to let it go for now. Their pantheon and their Septs came first, above his need for answers.

“Then I suppose we’d better prepare,” he said, moving to stand at Jungkook’s side as he rested a hand on his youngest brother’s shoulder.


End file.
